Damped shm successive amplitude ratio

1. Sep 20, 2014

PsychonautQQ

Question: The damped frequency (f) is 100 Hz. The ratio of the amplitude of two successive maxima is one half. What is the undamped frequency?

My first problem is I don't understand the basic equations i'm working with. If W is the undamped angular frequency and w is the damped frequency, I was told that w = (W^2 - c^2)^1/2 where c is the damping factor. I have a problem with this however because the right side of the equation is a constant (W and c are obviously both constant) and yet the damped frequency w is constantly decreasing in a damped SHM. What's going on here?

2. Sep 20, 2014

Orodruin

Staff Emeritus
The frequency of the damped oscillator is constant. What is decreasing is the amplitude.

To answer your problem: What is the relation between the amplitude of successive maxima in terms of the frequency and the damping? How can you use this information to find the frequency if you removed the damping (i.e., how do you get W)?